Yu Suzuki Reveals Shenmue 2, 3, and His Take on Die Hard

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Want to know what exactly a "Shenmue" is? You're gonna have to wait just a bit.

By IGN Staff

No, our headline is not wrong. The sequel to Shenmue - Chapter 1: Yokosuka is not called "Shenmue - Chapter 2." We're not the only ones who made the mistake at the Game Developers Conference this past weekend though. Suzuki took the time to correct us on that fact, and also revealed a few new details on the sequel, and his future projects.

The sequel to Shenmue - Chapter 1: Yokosuka will be called Shenmue 2. The reason? The game will actually contain chapters two, three, four, and five from the series. This information has been reported in rumor form across the web, but now that Suzuki has confirmed it himself, we're more inclined to believe it.

Regardless of the inclusion of multiple chapters, the game will take place entirely in Hong Kong. Instead of the dock, town, and residential area of part 1, part 2 will feature a bay, a city, a castle, and a few yet unrevealed areas.

At his keynote address on Sunday, March 12, Suzuki stated that the Shenmue story truly begins with part 2. He then announced that attendees would be given a sneak-peak at the sequel. Sadly, we were only shown footage that has already been seen by the general public. The two clips we were shown are contained within our preview of part 1, and we've linked them below here. The "Opening Trailer" clip is entirely from part 2 (that is to say, none of the footage is from part 1), with the clip labeled "Ryo, Iwao, and Shenhua" containing a mix of footage from both parts.

We've actually heard reports that Shenmue 2 will feature improved graphics over part 1, although Suzuki wouldn't confirm this. When pressed for more info on part 2, he resorted to the age old cry of "Confidential!" (who taught him this ugly word!?).

We jokingly asked Suzuki if Shenmue's main character Ryo Hazuki would ever journey to America. Suzuki shook his head, then mentioned the possibility of a game featuring Jacky and Sarah Bryant from Virtua Fighter (two of the American characters). The game, according to Suzuki, would be similar in some way to Die Hard. "Oh yes, we've played that game," we stated. Suzuki corrected us, though - he was referring to a game that would be similar in style to the Bruce Willis movies, rather than Sega's Die Hard Arcade title. When asked for further details, he let out the unsurprising "Confidential."

It appears that Suzuki's comments regarding a game similar to Die Hard aren't to be taken too literally. In his keynote address, when Sega of America's Greg Thomas questioned Suzuki on future titles, Suzuki answered that he'd like to see a new genre of gaming featuring the reality of movies and the interactivity of video games. Suzuki feels that Shenmue is a first step at this.

But will this Die Hard-inspired game will be the next step? Or will Shenmue 3 step up as the next game to blow everyone away? You read that right. The Shenmue saga isn't going to end with Shenmue 2. Suzuki actually mentioned Shenmue 3 for the first time at GDC. A reporter asked about the meaning of the word "Shenmue." Suzuki's response was that we won't find out until Shenmue 3.

That's a long time from now, of course. Right now, gamers in America are waiting on the first installment of Shenmue, which Sega is hopefully handling with care. If you're interested in seeing what Suzuki's future projects could offer, be sure and check out Chapter 1.